“Religious people claim that it's just the fundamentalists of each religion that cause problems. But there's got to be something wrong with the religion itself if those who strictly adhere to its most fundamental principles are violent bigots and sexists.”

- David G McAfee

Rafizi Ramli, the honourable gentleman from Pandan, in calling a spade a spade, claimed “the racial/religious sentiments as well as the goodies and cash handouts splurged during the campaigning were the two most important factors” for the opposition’s poor showing in the recent by-elections.

While I get this is what politicians do after losing an election - interpret data to fit their narrative with the fig leaf of “empirical data”, as some sort a rejoinder that all is not lost, I would rather explore the “racial/religious” element of the equation for obvious more immediate reasons.

In a recent propaganda video or as I prefer it “terrorism for dummies” guide, an Islamic terrorist from Negri Sembilan waging jihad against the non-believers abroad, issued a threat against the Malaysian public. Well, to be specific, against non-Muslim Malaysians and the PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police).

This warning comes at a time when Utusan Malaysia deemed former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad an enemy of Islam for consorting with DAP. The paper, which is on record as saying that it spins and lies for Umno, quoted religious bigot PAS spiritual adviser Haron Din as saying, “When you befriend the enemies of Islam, you will become just like them.”

The old PAS, the PAS I am familiar with, has always framed their political conflict with Umno and specifically Mahathir as some sort of epic between the corrupt Mahafiraun and righteous persecuted faithful.

Things have changed of course. The DAP’s propaganda ‘PAS for all’ catapulted PAS into the mainstream, and PKR’s subservience to this virulent Islamic sect - I am not referring to them as a political party any more - has allowed Umno another method of sub rosa control of the opposition alliance.

You play with Islamic fire, you get burned. I am immune from comments that claim I am flogging a dead horse when it comes to this issue. Non-Muslim Malaysians so used to threats of violence from the ruling coalition have become complacent to the very real possibility that religious and racial violence will destroy our polity. Most of this is our own doing of course but the so-called social contract, “the peace of for our time” compromise, has led to the creation of a polity mired in overt racism disguised as some sort of pragmatism.

Then we have the Islamic terrorist Mohd Rafi Udin urging Muslim Malaysians “…IS supporters to employ whatever means necessary to kill non-believers” while Harun Din says, “As such, it is better for us to return to defend the tenets of Islam using the brotherhood based on syariah principles and staying away from actions that may court God's anger”.

So from abroad a Malaysian-born Islamic terrorist want to kill non-Muslim Malaysians and here in Malaysia, we have the spiritual leader of an Islamic sect calling a predominately non-Muslim/Malay political party “enemies of Islam”...